I seem to remember that no manufacturer makes the executive cars and a kit bash is the only option. Can someone advise me what cars I would need to start with and who makes them?
Brian.
Brian:
This museum has two private cars, one was owned by the Duke family (Duke Power) and one was owned by Charles Schwab. The Schwab car was built by Pulman in 1902 for Schwab who had just become President of United States Steel.
http://www.nctrans.org/about_us/about_us.php?page=about_us
Externally they look like standard cars. Inside they are all custom.
They can probably supply photos if you contact them.
I found a web page with some photos but need a little direction in finding the models.
The Penn Central RR Historical Society sells a reprint of PC’s 1968 passenger car directory. IIRC, some of these cars made it to Conrail…but not all of them came from PRR and PC. On each page, is a floor plan, and a side view of the car.
Many companies have models that can be used as “stand-ins” for the CR cars. You can paint these in the correct colors, and you’re done. For more accurate ones, you’ll have to kitbash. For example, I wanted a correct Pennsy PS124 sleeping car. The Rivarossi model is close, but the doors are on the wrong end. To build what I wanted, I started with a Train Station Products core kit…and attached new sides I made from sections of the Rivarossi car, and a few window sections from a coach.